Vijayawada: Outpatients and patient attendants visiting the super speciality hospital block at the new Vijayawada govt general hospital (GGH), have been facing severe inconvenience due to the limited availability of toilets and lack of drinking water facilities.
Common toilets available only on one side of the hospital block from the ground to third floor, while toilets on the other side of the building remain closed. Moreover, toilets on the fourth floor of the super speciality block, which has intensive care units (ICUs), are locked. Even the common toilets that are open for use, stink and are poorly maintained.
To add to the inconvenience of physically challenged patients, toilet rooms designated for them were closed on all floors, except for the ground floor near a common toilet area. Additionally, the RO water purifiers installed on each floor, have been non-operational. Hence, patients and their attendants are forced to purchase and refill drinking water from outside.
TOI visited the super speciality block and found that toilet rooms on the fourth floor, along with those for physically challenged patients and staff on the first floor, were locked. While some toilet rooms were secured with locks, others were tied shut using saline bottle wires.
“My family member has been admitted to the neurology ICU on the fourth floor, and every time I need to use the restroom, I have to leave the hospital block since toilets on this floor are closed for patient attendants,” said G. Venkateswarlu, a patient’s attendant from Kanigiri. On being asked about being aware of the availability of common toilets in the hospital block, he said he was unfimiliar with the hospital’s layout.
Krishnaveni, another patient’s attendant said, “We refill our water bottles from a water kiosk set up in front of the hospital block by an NGO.”
Patients and attendants are charged one rupee to refill a one-litre water bottle.
“I get tired of coming down from the fourth floor multiple times a day just to get drinking water. I can only carry two or three bottles at a time, so I have to make the trip at least three times daily. Although there is a lift, the process is time-consuming. It would be much easier if the RO water filters inside the hospital block were functional,” she added. GGH superintendent was unavailable for comment.
